Poor Emma
by OUAT Shipper
Summary: Emma got sick and Regina is charged with nursing her back to health because Mary and David can't. P.S. I don't really know where this was going...
1. Chapter 1

_**Day 1**_

Emma grabbed her stomach with her hands and put her forehead on her desk. She felt like shit and she knew she should go home, but that would just give Regina another reason to blow a gasket. It was only 9:30 am and Regina would just yell at her for slacking off. Not that Emma didn't like the brunette when she was pissed off, it just made her hotter. Emma had always harbored a crush for the mayor, but it was never proclaimed. Maybe because the mayor is straight, Emma thought to herself. She sat up and placed a pen in her hand, willing herself to finish some much over due paper work, so she could see Regina again, but she couldn't stop focusing on the churning of her intestines. She finally gave up and went to the couch just outside of her office, and laid down. She closed her eyes, hoping a quick nap would ease her pain. She quickly found sleep taking over and before she knew it, she was out for the count.

Regina walked in around noon, looking for some paper work she needed to finish a project, when she found Emma sleeping on the couch. Rolling her eyes, she clicked her way over to the blonde and shook her, trying to wake the beast. She didn't really want to, she was so adorable when she slept, there always a small piece of hair being sucked in and blown out from her rhythmic breathing. Emma fell asleep often on the job, so this was nothing new to the mayor, but Emma looked different today, her breathing was shallower, her face paler. She tried slightly harder to wake Emma, getting worried. The blonde finally came back to consciousness, moaning. Regina tilted her head slightly, like a confused dog.

"Emma, may I ask, why yet again you were sleeping on the job, when, I specifically told you I never wanted to catch you like this again?"

"Feel...like...shit..." grunted Emma, clutching her stomach. Regina cooed softly and helped the blonde off of the couch.

"Stop...don't...wanna...move..."

"Well, you can't stay here until you get better, and either way, staying here won't help you anyways. We're going to Whale." Emma shrieked and scampered back to the couch, curling into fetal position.

"What? Whale is a nice man...well, of sorts."

"Exactly." Emma croaked. Regina sighed and realized this was going nowhere unless she got a little help. She waved her hand over the other woman, making her pass out again. Regina struggled to get Emma up, but eventually succeeded and got her to her Mercedes. With the blonde somewhat formidable in the back, Regina pulled away from the station, and made her way to the hospital.

Emma woke up with an iv in her arm and Regina sitting next to the bed. She scrambled, trying to escape, but Regina held her back. She pulled her close, the blonde's head resting against her chest. She soothed her until Emma pushed away, party scared and partly embarrassed. Regina watched as the blonde grabbed her knees, rocking slightly.

"What is it with you and doctors?"

"Their scary."

"No their not. They're here to help you, not hurt you."

"You're really not comfortable here?"

"Why am I here?"

"Because you were sick and I obviously needed to know what was wrong with you in order to help you."

"And what am I sick with?"

"The flu. You're going to be out of commission for at least a week."

"Shit."

"Language, Ms. Swan."

"Why would you want to help me? All we've ever done is argue and bicker."

"For... for Henry." Regina quickly made up a lie, hoping the blonde didn't catch on. Emma nodded and ripped the iv out of her arm, before attempting to stand and falling on shaky knees. Regina walked over and helped the blonde stand, but just helped her back into the bed.

"And why did you do that?"

"Because you need to stay here if you want to get better."

"Can't I just go stay at my parent's house? They'll fix me with true love's magic or some shit like that."

"Language once again, Emma."

"Please?"

"You really don't want to stay here?"

"I'd rather burn in hell." Regina sighed, realizing the blonde's language wasn't improving any time soon. She wrapped her arm under Emma and helped her back up off the bed, before exiting the hospital with her. Regina got Emma into her car, this time shotgun, before getting into the driver's side and pulling out of the parking lot. They passed Mary Margaret's street, which made Emma turn to Regina.

"You...just passed my street."

"I know."

"Then where are we going?"

"To my house. I don't need you getting the whole town sick."

"Gee, thanks."

They pulled into Regina driveway, and entered the house, Emma now standing slightly more on her own and only had her hand on Regina's shoulder for support. She went to go sit on the couch, but Regina shook her head.

"To bed." she said as she jerked her thumb toward the stairs.

"But..."

"No buts. Upstairs, now." Regina said with slightly more authority, as if she were Emma's mother. Emma dropped her head and headed up the stairs, but stopped at the top, not knowing where to go. Regina guided her into her own bedroom, making Emma turn around and look questioningly at her care taker.

"Are you sure? This is your room. Where are you going to sleep?"

"I don't know. I'll figure that out later."

"I don't think..."

"No questions. Get into bed." Emma headed for the bed, but not before Regina could throw a pair of pajamas her way.

"Throw those on. I don't want street clothes in my bed." Regina left the room and closed the door, allowing Emma to change. They were a black silk set, a button up top and normal bottoms. She slipped them on and climbed onto the massive bed and Regina knocked on the door.

"Come in." Emma said as she got under the warm covers. She hadn't realized how cold she was. Regina had a thermometer in one hand hand and children Tylenol in the other.

"Please sit up. I need to take your temperature."

"Regina, I'm not 10 years old..." Regina looked at her with that 'don't screw with me' look that seemed to stare into her soul. She obeyed, allowing Regina to put the instrument in her mouth. After a minute or so, it was removed and Regina read off the results.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. 108.7. You're really high, worse than I thought at least." Emma settled back into the covers and Regina sat on the edge of the bed.

"Looks like you're going to be here for a couple days, just you and me."

"What about Henry?"

"I've arranged for him to stay with your parents, they enjoy his company." Emma pulled her hair into a messy bun and secured it with a hair tie from her wrist, before compressing into the pillows.

"I'm going to the store to pick up some things, what flavor Gatorade do you like?"

"Regina, you really don't have to do this, my parents can take care of me just fine."

"And what do they know about taking care of someone ill? I've already called them, and as much as your family dislikes me, they agree. I'm going to be taking care of you. So I will ask again, what flavor?"

"Purple." Regina nodded and placed Emma's cellphone on the nightstand, patting it.

"In case you need something. No calling for someone to pick you up, I'll be back in twenty minutes." Emma nodded and watched the brunette go. Regina was so much shorter without her pumps on, by about 5 inches. She suppressed a giggle, worried Regina could still hear her. She looked around the room, taking in decorations and the wallpaper, which was like a forest. She pulled the blankets closer around her, but was trying to fight off the urge to sleep. Her eyes were drifting closed, but she kept forcing them back open, wanting to show Regina she was not completely on board with this plan, but soon she was out, snoring lightly.

Regina returned, kicking off her heels and dropping her purse. Her feet were killing her. As much as she wore her heels, her feet had never adjusted, and after just a few hours, was ready to take them off.

"Emma, I'm back!" She called. There was no response. She headed upstairs, only to find Emma still asleep, curled up with her back to the door. Regina smiled and set her bag down, heading to the bed, where she sat on the edge and brushed a piece of hair out of Emma's face. She rubbed her back, trying to coax her awake.

"Come on, Emma sweetie. You should take some medicine. Please wake up." She whispered into Emma's ear several times until her eyelids started to flutter open. A smile spread across her face as Regina's hand continued it's way up and down her back.

"Oh, so I'm your 'sweetie' now, am I?" Regina blushed a bright red as Emma laughed heartily, but was interrupted by a hard, painful cough. Regina went and dug into her bag, pulling out saltine crackers, purple Gatorade, adult Tylenol, and cough syrup. She popped open the lid on the syrup and un-screwed the child proof lid. After reading the correct dosage, she poured it and held it out to Emma,who refused it.

"Come on, that cough sounds painful, just take it and you'll feel a lot better." Emma shook her head, and turned it away. Regina continued holding out the spoon until Emma cracked, taking and shoving it in her mouth. Her nose crinkled at the taste, not being enjoyable at all. Regina giggled and Emma pulled the spoon away from her face.

"That stuff never did taste like grape, did it."

"It tastes like death and child's tears." Both women burst out laughing before Emma's cough returned, bringing an awkward silence with it.

"Do you want some Gatorade?"

"Nope."

"Do you want me to leave you alone?"

"Nope." Emma smiled weakly as Regina climbed up onto the bed and got under the covers with Emma, snuggling in under Emma's arm, her head resting on Emma's chest.

"Shouldn't this be the other way around?" asked Regina.

"No, I like it this way. It gives me that much dignity in a situation like this."

"Fair enough." said Regina as she grabbed the remote for the flat screen TV hanging in front of them. She flipped through the channels before settling on a home improvement show, which was one of the only things on in the middle of the afternoon. They were silent for a while, watching the couple whose house was being renovated tear through a wall with a sludge hammer.

"So have you ever seen your movie?"

"What movie?"

"Snow White and the Seven Dwarves."

"What about them?"

"No silly! The movie!"

"I have a movie?"

"Yeah. Disney made it a while ago. It was actually pretty good. Do you want to watch it?"

"I don't own it..."

"That's okay. I'll pull it up on my phone. Could you hand it to me please?" Regina complied, handing over the smart phone. Emma searched for a few minutes, before pulling the full movie up on you tube. She tapped a button and soon the movie was up on Regina's TV. Emma hit the play button and the movie started. Regina got up to turn off the lights and grabbed the saltine crackers.

"If we can't have popcorn, might as well have something, right?" Emma smiled and grabbed a few, shoving them in her mouth. Emma knew this movie inside and out. She wondered how Regina could never have seen this movie even once. Emma mouthed the words to some of her favorite quotes while Regina lay there, awe struck at the cartoon. When it ended, Emma paused the video at the credits, looking over at the brunette.

"Well, what did you think?"

"Where was my hair?"

"I think it was under that black thing."

"And the reason why I wanted Snow dead was completely wrong."

"Yep."

"And Charming was not charming at all."

"Nope. I always thought he was creepy in the movie."

"And..."

"Yes, your name was The Evil Queen. Nothing more, nothing less. There was no 'Regina'."

"Well, all I have to say is that that was an experience."

"There are also movies for Aurora, Mulan, Cinderella, Belle and Ariel."

"Oh my god. Were they all that creepy?"

"No, they progressively got better. Snow White was the first to come out."

"Now I want to watch the rest." said Regina as she looked at the blonde hopefully. Emma smiled, wishing she could fulfill her request, but she yawned widely and Regina's face sank.

"Sorry Regina, but I'm so tired. I need to go to bed."

"Awwwww!"

"Maybe tomorrow, alright?"

"Yay!" cried Regina, as if she was a little kid. She got out of bed, stretched, then headed to the dresser to grab some pajamas.

"Where are you going to sleep tonight?"

"Oh, I don't know. Probably down on the couch."

"No! That doesn't seem right. Why don't you sleep in here? I'll sleep in Henry's room."

"But you've already made yourself at home in here."

"Then why don't you just sleep in here tonight? This bed is big enough for both of us."

"Well, you're not going to settle down until I sleep in my own bed, so why not? Just try not to get me sick. I still have a town to run you know." Regina headed into the bathroom, changed, brushed her teeth, and came back out. She threw her clothes on the floor, and climbed into bed next to Emma, who scooched over to the far side.

"I didn't know you have the capability to be messy Gina."

"Gina? Any yes, I can be messy, I just don't normally choose to."

"I think Gina's cute! Don't you?" Regina pondered the nickname for a moment, before agreeing, nodding her head. Emma smiled and pulled Regina close to her body.

"And what was that?"

"I'm cold." Emma lied. She just wanted to know what it felt like to be this close to the mayor. She contemplated telling her the truth, but decided against it. That could be discussed at a later time. Emma's eyes closed, sleep quickly taking over. Being sick always took a lot out of her and she felt bad that she couldn't stay awake longer.

"Night, Gina." Emma whispered before she began snoring.

"Night, Emma." said Regina as she snuggled herself closer into the blonde's body as her own eyes slowly drifted shut. The last thing she could remember was Emma's hand closing around her own, and her grasping it back.

_**Day 2**_

Regina woke up the next morning to guttural sounds of choking. Worried, she sat up quickly in bed, only to see that poor Emma had her head bent over the toilet, emptying the contents of her stomach, which wasn't that much to begin with. She looked helplessly at Emma who finally finished, stood up, washed her hands, and wiped her face. She was paler than the previous night and that worried Regina.

"You need to stay in bed. I'll bring you a garbage can, but you look even worse than last night."

"Gee, thanks."

Regina grabbed the garbage can from Henry's room and placed it next to the bed, which the blonde was getting into. Regina smiled warmly at her patient, who smiled back.

"Gina, I was wondering..."

"Yes?"

"Could you run over to the apartment and have my parents pack a bag of my stuff? Clothes pajamas, a toothbrush..."

"Of course! Why didn't I think of that?"

"Oh, and just between you and me, can you just whisper 'Mr. Fluffykins' in her ear? She'll understand immediately."

"Mr. Fluffykins?"

"Don't judge!He's the one thing I've always had stay the same from my childhood." said Emma, her head bowing.

"Don't worry, I'll get Mr. Fluffykins, you don't need to guilt trip me!" cried Regina, awkwardly hugging Emma, who returned the embrace. Emma smiled as Regina left the room. She reached the bottom of the stairs and realized she still had her pajamas on. With a wave of her hand, the silks were gone, soon replaced by jeans and a t-shirt, which she rarely wore. She picked her purse and keys up off the floor, and left the house in her bright red converse. Hopping in her Mercedes, she drove over to the Charming's apartment. Even though she knew she was more welcome now than ever, she was still hesitant when it came to knocking on the door. It was answered by Henry, whose face lit up when he saw his second mother.

"Hi, Henry."

"Mom!" he ran forward and hugged the woman at her stomach, considering that was as high as he could reach. Soon, Mary Margaret and David came to the door, followed by the gentle shooing of the boy.

"Regina, what's up?" asked Mary Margaret.

"Is something wrong with Emma?" asked David, worried.

"Don't worry, Emma's fine, well, I take that back. She's as fine as a person with a severe case of the flu can be. She asked me to come over and pick up some things. Clothes, pajamas, a tooth brush..."

"Did she ask about Mr.-"

"Yes, and I was told not to mention it to anyone but you."

"Alright. David why don't you take Regina inside. I'm going to go pack Emma a bag." David led Regina into the apartment, closing the door behind him, as his wife went upstairs to take care of things.

"Would you like some coffee?"

"Oh, no thank you, I just ate." They sat on the couch, awkwardly side by side.

"I don't think this has been expressed clearly enough. We are so grateful that you are taking care of Emma. As much as we wanted to do this ourselves, we don't think the flu would be a good place to start. A cold, perhaps, but not the flu."

"I understand, and really, it's no trouble. She's really well behaved."

"Well, I would hope we raised her better than that." David laughed sadly at his own joke, leaving Regina with a small smile of both amusement and sympathy. Mary Margaret walked in, carrying Emma's plain, brown suitcase. She heaved it down the stairs and Regina rose to help her step daughter.

"Thank you again for taking care of Emma."

"No problem. I hope to have her better by the end of the week." Regina shook David's hand and hugged Mary Margaret before grabbing the suitcase's handle and wheeling it out of the apartment. She threw it into the trunk of her car and got in, pulling away and into the road. She returned home once again, chucking her converse into a pile in a corner of the foyer.

"Emma, I'm home!" the brunette called.

"Where else would I be?" called Emma, clearly having difficulties. Regina took the stairs two at a time, still in a good mood from her pleasant visit with the blonde's parents. She reached the bedroom, and her face fell. Emma had kicked all of her blankets off of her body, and was retching over the side of the bed. Her pony tail had fallen out and her hair was a tangled mess sticking out from her head in every possible angle. She looked up over her shoulder, smiled weakly, and then tossed her head back down to retch. Regina set the suitcase on the bed and walked around to sit on Emma's side. She saw that there was nothing in the can and tsked.

"Emma, if you want this to be less painful, you need to keep things in your stomach so that you actually have something to get rid of later. I was hoping you knew that."

"I'm sorry if I didn't think to put things in my body, while it's disposing of anything and everything. I've never been sick like this before, I don't know what to do, I just want this to be over!" cried Emma. Regina patted her back as she sat up and got back on the bed. Her face was stained with tear tracks and covered with sweat. Regina picked up the thermometer from the nightstand and put it back in Emma's mouth from the previous night. It stayed for a minute or so before it was pulled out again and read off.

"107.6. You're getting slightly better."

"Not fast enough I'm not." Emma grumbled. Regina pushed herself back into her spot on the bed and hugged her knees.

"Can we watch another movie?"

"Sure." said Emma, grabbing her phone. She scrolled through the list of videos on you tube until she found one that she thought Regina would like.

"This one is Mulan."

"You mean..."

"No, she looks almost nothing like the real Mulan, but I think she is the most bad ass of the Disney princesses."

"Okay..." said Regina. This time, Emma was under Regina's arm, her hair being petted. Emma's hand snaked up onto Regina's toned stomach, which was joined by Regina's free hand. Their fingers intertwined and remained that way. The movie ran its course and this time Regina looked almost touched by the story. Emma paused the movie before the credits and looked up into Regina's big brown eyes.

"Did you like it?"

"Like it? I loved it! Much better than the real Mulan."

"Oooooo, I'm gonna tell her you said that!"

"You wouldn't dare!"

"Oh, Ms. Mills, you have no idea what I'm capable of." both women laughed at the use of Regina's classic threatening line. Their laughter silenced when their eyes met. A spark almost passed between them, igniting the fire. Emma leaned up and wrapped her hand around the side of Regina's head, pressing her lips into the brunette's. Regina hesitated for a moment, before giving in, pressing back, her fingers tangling themselves in the mess of blondness Emma called hair. They each continued pushing back harder until Emma was on her back. She pulled away, coughing, ruining the moment. Regina leaned back into her pillow, breathless. That was one of the best kisses she'd had since... Daniel. She had always had a thing for the sheriff, but she never thought it would take off. But here she was, regaining her composure. She finally turned over onto her side, propping up her head with her hand. Emma did the same, smiling.

"How can you be so nonchalant about this? We just kissed. We're Henry's mothers. You're sick."

"Because that just made today the happiest day of my life. And I don't think one kiss is going to end you for all your days."

"What?"

"I said, one kiss-"

"No the other thing."

"About the happiest day of my life?"

"Yes. I thought you were straight."

"I was. Until I met you." Regina's heart just about melted right then and there. She pulled Emma in again, moving on top of the blonde. Emma kissed back again, just driving Regina insane.. They finally came up for air, both beaming.

"I love you too." said Regina. Emma wiped a single tear from her face. Regina snuggled into Emma's body, finding warmth. Emma's arm wrapped itself around Regina, pulling her close. Regina looked up, her dark brown eyes finding Emma's bright green ones.

"What are we going to tell Henry? What are we going to tell your parents? What are we going to tell the town?" Regina immediately went into 'worry about everything all at once' mode and Emma stroked her hair, calming her.

"Gina, chill. Everything is going to be alright. If I know true love, and I'm pretty sure I have a big chuck of it under my belt, the road may be a little rough, but it will all work out."

"But what if Henry doesn't like it?"

"And why wouldn't he like it? His moms are finally happy and not fighting, I think he'll love it. But right now, let's not worry about that. Let's just enjoy right now." Emma said as she rested her head on top of Regina's. She sighed as she felt Regina's body finally relax, tense muscles releasing. Emma felt sleep taking hold of her, but she wouldn't let it. She leaned back, sitting up in bed. Regina sat up too, startled by the blonde's sudden movement.

"What is it, Em?"

"Can we, like, go for a walk or something? I can't take this 'lying in bed all day' thing anymore."

"I thought you liked being lazy."

"I like it when I have the option. But when I'm forced, I'd rather be in Neverland."

"We can walk around the house-"

"No, I wanna go outside, where there's animals and people, and the walls aren't there to suffocate me."

"Fine. Change and I'll get ready." Regina got up and left, closing the door behind her. The brunette was racking her brain for a reason she couldn't let Emma go outside. She was pacing in the hallway, when she heard a thud and ran in, banging the door and the wall behind it. Emma was at the toilet again, emptying what was left of her stomach. Regina shook her head and wagged her finger semi-jokingly at the blonde.

"This is what you get for trying to go outside."

"I-I think I'll stay in bed for now." said Emma as she used the wall to support herself as she stood. Regina stepped forward, ready to help, but Emma made it to the bed on her own. Regina grabbed some things that had been set on the floor and set them on the bed. She filled Emma's cup with more Gatorade, emptying the bottle, filled her bowl with more saltine crackers, and once again. Shoved the thermometer in Emma's mouth. The patient folded her arms and huffed, until it was removed.

"108.6, Em. You're getting worse again."

"Ugh." Regina's stomach growled and Emma raised an eyebrow.

"Gina, how long has it been since you ate last?"

"Um, I don't know. A couple days."

"Gina! Go get something to eat. Go to Granny's, I'll be fine here."

"Em, I couldn't possibly-"

"Go." Emma used a tone that Regina had not heard before. It was commanding and slightly upset, maybe even angry. She didn't want to argue with that. She nodded, grabbed her purse, and left the room, leaving Emma all alone. She picked up her phone and dialed Red's number, and it was picked up almost immediately.

"Emma?"

"Hi Red. Regina's coming down in a couple minutes and no matter what she orders, I want you to give her a double cheeseburger with everything and a double order of fries and... thrown a vanilla milkshake in there too."

"Okay...why?"

"The woman hasn't eaten in two days." A comprehensive 'ooohhhhh' came from the other side.

"Okay Em. I'll do that right away. Op, here he comes. I gotta go. Feel better soon!" And Red hung up. Emma checked the time on her phone before setting it down. 5:30 pm in the second day of her being ill. She sighed and compressed into her pillow. It was going to be a long road to recovery.

Regina came back around 6:45 pm, full from eating really, more than she should have for dinner. Red had kept coming out with food, and then refused to give her the bill .Regina ran her fingers through her hair and sighed as once again, her purse and keys were thrown to the floor and her shoes kicked into the corner. She trudged up the stairs, and into her bedroom. Emma was looking at her phone, scrolling aggressively.

"Watcha doing?"

"Looking for a specific movie for us to watch tonight." Emma smiled, finding what she was looking for.

"Which one?"

"That is for you to find out later." Emma said slyly, teasing Regina with a raised eyebrow. Regina smiled and climbed onto the bed, kissing Emma. Regina tangled her fingers in Emma's long blonde hair, pulling lightly. Emma groaned quietly, Regina's kiss making her want more. Regina pulled away, gasping for air, but still smiling.

"Will that make you tell me?"

"Fine." said Emma, hoping it would get her more Gina time. "Frozen." Regina clapped her hands rapidly, bouncing a little on the bed.

"I have wanted to see that for the longest time, but Henry said it was too girly! I can't wait!" Regina kissed Emma again, but slower, taking more care of the blonde. Emma kissed back, liking this side of Regina. They rolled around a little, but finally fell to each others sides. Regina was once again tucked under Emma's arm, which she quickly changed. After a moment of wrestling, Emma's head was resting on Regina's chest and the brunette was stroking the other woman's tangled hair. Emma sighed, decompressing.

"Well, that was interesting." Regina said, trying to comb Emma's hair with her fingers.

"What time is it?"

"Ummm..." Regina picked up Emma's phone. "7:15" She looked hopefully at Emma, her brown eyes glistening.

"Fine. Give me my phone."

"Not until you say please."

"We could just not watch it..."

"Here! Take it! I take back anything I ever said to offend you!" Regina cried as she practically threw the smart phone at Emma, which made her break down in a fit of giggles. It was obvious they were contagious and soon both were giggling uncontrollably. Soon the need for air was greater and they slowed, taking big, deep, breaths. Emma grabbed her phone and unlocked it, having left the page open. She flashed the movie up to the TV and pressed play. She set her phone on the nightstand and snuggled Regina close. The movie opened with some men and a little boy harvesting ice.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Day 2**_

Regina woke up the next morning to guttural sounds of choking. Worried, she sat up quickly in bed, only to see that poor Emma had her head bent over the toilet, emptying the contents of her stomach, which wasn't that much to begin with. She looked helplessly at Emma who finally finished, stood up, washed her hands, and wiped her face. She was paler than the previous night and that worried Regina.

"You need to stay in bed. I'll bring you a garbage can, but you look even worse than last night."

"Gee, thanks."

Regina grabbed the garbage can from Henry's room and placed it next to the bed, which the blonde was getting into. Regina smiled warmly at her patient, who smiled back.

"Gina, I was wondering..."

"Yes?"

"Could you run over to the apartment and have my parents pack a bag of my stuff? Clothes pajamas, a toothbrush..."

"Of course! Why didn't I think of that?"

"Oh, and just between you and me, can you just whisper 'Mr. Fluffykins' in her ear? She'll understand immediately."

"Mr. Fluffykins?"

"Don't judge!He's the one thing I've always had stay the same from my childhood." said Emma, her head bowing.

"Don't worry, I'll get Mr. Fluffykins, you don't need to guilt trip me!" cried Regina, awkwardly hugging Emma, who returned the embrace. Emma smiled as Regina left the room. She reached the bottom of the stairs and realized she still had her pajamas on. With a wave of her hand, the silks were gone, soon replaced by jeans and a t-shirt, which she rarely wore. She picked her purse and keys up off the floor, and left the house in her bright red converse. Hopping in her Mercedes, she drove over to the Charming's apartment. Even though she knew she was more welcome now than ever, she was still hesitant when it came to knocking on the door. It was answered by Henry, whose face lit up when he saw his second mother.

"Hi, Henry."

"Mom!" he ran forward and hugged the woman at her stomach, considering that was as high as he could reach. Soon, Mary Margaret and David came to the door, followed by the gentle shooing of the boy.

"Regina, what's up?" asked Mary Margaret.

"Is something wrong with Emma?" asked David, worried.

"Don't worry, Emma's fine, well, I take that back. She's as fine as a person with a severe case of the flu can be. She asked me to come over and pick up some things. Clothes, pajamas, a tooth brush..."

"Did she ask about Mr.-"

"Yes, and I was told not to mention it to anyone but you."

"Alright. David why don't you take Regina inside. I'm going to go pack Emma a bag." David led Regina into the apartment, closing the door behind him, as his wife went upstairs to take care of things.

"Would you like some coffee?"

"Oh, no thank you, I just ate." They sat on the couch, awkwardly side by side.

"I don't think this has been expressed clearly enough. We are so grateful that you are taking care of Emma. As much as we wanted to do this ourselves, we don't think the flu would be a good place to start. A cold, perhaps, but not the flu."

"I understand, and really, it's no trouble. She's really well behaved."

"Well, I would hope we raised her better than that." David laughed sadly at his own joke, leaving Regina with a small smile of both amusement and sympathy. Mary Margaret walked in, carrying Emma's plain, brown suitcase. She heaved it down the stairs and Regina rose to help her step daughter.

"Thank you again for taking care of Emma."

"No problem. I hope to have her better by the end of the week." Regina shook David's hand and hugged Mary Margaret before grabbing the suitcase's handle and wheeling it out of the apartment. She threw it into the trunk of her car and got in, pulling away and into the road. She returned home once again, chucking her converse into a pile in a corner of the foyer.

"Emma, I'm home!" the brunette called.

"Where else would I be?" called Emma, clearly having difficulties. Regina took the stairs two at a time, still in a good mood from her pleasant visit with the blonde's parents. She reached the bedroom, and her face fell. Emma had kicked all of her blankets off of her body, and was retching over the side of the bed. Her pony tail had fallen out and her hair was a tangled mess sticking out from her head in every possible angle. She looked up over her shoulder, smiled weakly, and then tossed her head back down to retch. Regina set the suitcase on the bed and walked around to sit on Emma's side. She saw that there was nothing in the can and tsked.

"Emma, if you want this to be less painful, you need to keep things in your stomach so that you actually have something to get rid of later. I was hoping you knew that."

"I'm sorry if I didn't think to put things in my body, while it's disposing of anything and everything. I've never been sick like this before, I don't know what to do, I just want this to be over!" cried Emma. Regina patted her back as she sat up and got back on the bed. Her face was stained with tear tracks and covered with sweat. Regina picked up the thermometer from the nightstand and put it back in Emma's mouth from the previous night. It stayed for a minute or so before it was pulled out again and read off.

"107.6. You're getting slightly better."

"Not fast enough I'm not." Emma grumbled. Regina pushed herself back into her spot on the bed and hugged her knees.

"Can we watch another movie?"

"Sure." said Emma, grabbing her phone. She scrolled through the list of videos on you tube until she found one that she thought Regina would like.

"This one is Mulan."

"You mean..."

"No, she looks almost nothing like the real Mulan, but I think she is the most bad ass of the Disney princesses."

"Okay..." said Regina. This time, Emma was under Regina's arm, her hair being petted. Emma's hand snaked up onto Regina's toned stomach, which was joined by Regina's free hand. Their fingers intertwined and remained that way. The movie ran its course and this time Regina looked almost touched by the story. Emma paused the movie before the credits and looked up into Regina's big brown eyes.

"Did you like it?"

"Like it? I loved it! Much better than the real Mulan."

"Oooooo, I'm gonna tell her you said that!"

"You wouldn't dare!"

"Oh, Ms. Mills, you have no idea what I'm capable of." both women laughed at the use of Regina's classic threatening line. Their laughter silenced when their eyes met. A spark almost passed between them, igniting the fire. Emma leaned up and wrapped her hand around the side of Regina's head, pressing her lips into the brunette's. Regina hesitated for a moment, before giving in, pressing back, her fingers tangling themselves in the mess of blondness Emma called hair. They each continued pushing back harder until Emma was on her back. She pulled away, coughing, ruining the moment. Regina leaned back into her pillow, breathless. That was one of the best kisses she'd had since... Daniel. She had always had a thing for the sheriff, but she never thought it would take off. But here she was, regaining her composure. She finally turned over onto her side, propping up her head with her hand. Emma did the same, smiling.

"How can you be so nonchalant about this? We just kissed. We're Henry's mothers. You're sick."

"Because that just made today the happiest day of my life. And I don't think one kiss is going to end you for all your days."

"What?"

"I said, one kiss-"

"No the other thing."

"About the happiest day of my life?"

"Yes. I thought you were straight."

"I was. Until I met you." Regina's heart just about melted right then and there. She pulled Emma in again, moving on top of the blonde. Emma kissed back again, just driving Regina insane.. They finally came up for air, both beaming.

"I love you too." said Regina. Emma wiped a single tear from her face. Regina snuggled into Emma's body, finding warmth. Emma's arm wrapped itself around Regina, pulling her close. Regina looked up, her dark brown eyes finding Emma's bright green ones.

"What are we going to tell Henry? What are we going to tell your parents? What are we going to tell the town?" Regina immediately went into 'worry about everything all at once' mode and Emma stroked her hair, calming her.

"Gina, chill. Everything is going to be alright. If I know true love, and I'm pretty sure I have a big chuck of it under my belt, the road may be a little rough, but it will all work out."

"But what if Henry doesn't like it?"

"And why wouldn't he like it? His moms are finally happy and not fighting, I think he'll love it. But right now, let's not worry about that. Let's just enjoy right now." Emma said as she rested her head on top of Regina's. She sighed as she felt Regina's body finally relax, tense muscles releasing. Emma felt sleep taking hold of her, but she wouldn't let it. She leaned back, sitting up in bed. Regina sat up too, startled by the blonde's sudden movement.

"What is it, Em?"

"Can we, like, go for a walk or something? I can't take this 'lying in bed all day' thing anymore."

"I thought you liked being lazy."

"I like it when I have the option. But when I'm forced, I'd rather be in Neverland."

"We can walk around the house-"

"No, I wanna go outside, where there's animals and people, and the walls aren't there to suffocate me."

"Fine. Change and I'll get ready." Regina got up and left, closing the door behind her. The brunette was racking her brain for a reason she couldn't let Emma go outside. She was pacing in the hallway, when she heard a thud and ran in, banging the door and the wall behind it. Emma was at the toilet again, emptying what was left of her stomach. Regina shook her head and wagged her finger semi-jokingly at the blonde.

"This is what you get for trying to go outside."

"I-I think I'll stay in bed for now." said Emma as she used the wall to support herself as she stood. Regina stepped forward, ready to help, but Emma made it to the bed on her own. Regina grabbed some things that had been set on the floor and set them on the bed. She filled Emma's cup with more Gatorade, emptying the bottle, filled her bowl with more saltine crackers, and once again. Shoved the thermometer in Emma's mouth. The patient folded her arms and huffed, until it was removed.

"108.6, Em. You're getting worse again."

"Ugh." Regina's stomach growled and Emma raised an eyebrow.

"Gina, how long has it been since you ate last?"

"Um, I don't know. A couple days."

"Gina! Go get something to eat. Go to Granny's, I'll be fine here."

"Em, I couldn't possibly-"

"Go." Emma used a tone that Regina had not heard before. It was commanding and slightly upset, maybe even angry. She didn't want to argue with that. She nodded, grabbed her purse, and left the room, leaving Emma all alone. She picked up her phone and dialed Red's number, and it was picked up almost immediately.

"Emma?"

"Hi Red. Regina's coming down in a couple minutes and no matter what she orders, I want you to give her a double cheeseburger with everything and a double order of fries and... thrown a vanilla milkshake in there too."

"Okay...why?"

"The woman hasn't eaten in two days." A comprehensive 'ooohhhhh' came from the other side.

"Okay Em. I'll do that right away. Op, here he comes. I gotta go. Feel better soon!" And Red hung up. Emma checked the time on her phone before setting it down. 5:30 pm in the second day of her being ill. She quickly jerked forward, once again, emptying the contents of her stomach. It was going to be a long road to recovery.

Regina came back around 6:45 pm, full from eating really, more than she should have for dinner. Red had kept coming out with food, and then refused to give her the bill .Regina ran her fingers through her hair and sighed as once again, her purse and keys were thrown to the floor and her shoes kicked into the corner. She trudged up the stairs, and into her bedroom. Emma was looking at her phone, scrolling aggressively.

"Watcha doing?"

"Looking for a specific movie for us to watch tonight." Emma smiled, finding what she was looking for.

"Which one?"

"That is for you to find out later." Emma said slyly, teasing Regina with a raised eyebrow. Regina smiled and climbed onto the bed, kissing Emma. Regina tangled her fingers in Emma's long blonde hair, pulling lightly. Emma groaned quietly, Regina's kiss making her want more. Regina pulled away, gasping for air, but still smiling.

"Will that make you tell me?"

"Fine." said Emma, hoping it would get her more Gina time. "Frozen." Regina clapped her hands rapidly, bouncing a little on the bed.

"I have wanted to see that for the longest time, but Henry said it was too girly! I can't wait!" Regina kissed Emma again, but slower, taking more care of the blonde. Emma kissed back, liking this side of Regina. They rolled around a little, but finally fell to each others sides. Regina was once again tucked under Emma's arm, which she quickly changed. After a moment of wrestling, Emma's head was resting on Regina's chest and the brunette was stroking the other woman's tangled hair. Emma sighed, decompressing.

"Well, that was interesting." Regina said, trying to comb Emma's hair with her fingers.

"What time is it?"

"Ummm..." Regina picked up Emma's phone. "7:15" She looked hopefully at Emma, her brown eyes glistening.

"Fine. Give me my phone."

"Not until you say please."

"We could just not watch it..."

"Here! Take it! I take back anything I ever said to offend you!" Regina cried as she practically threw the smart phone at Emma, which made her break down in a fit of giggles. It was obvious they were contagious and soon both were giggling uncontrollably. Soon the need for air was greater and they slowed, taking big, deep, breaths. Emma grabbed her phone and unlocked it, having left the page open. She flashed the movie up to the TV and pressed play. She set her phone on the nightstand and snuggled Regina close. The movie opened with some men and a little boy harvesting ice. It sent a chill down Regina's spine, but she didn't quite know why. The covers were pulled over the two as the brunette's eyes remained locked with the screen. Throughout the movie, Emma kept looking down at her Gina, watching her reaction to some jokes, the sad parts and the songs. Finally the movie ended and Emma ended it. Regina stayed the way she was, obviously stunned.

"Well, what did you think?"

"That was the best fucking thing I have seen since, well, ever!" cried Regina, practically shaking Emma by her shoulders. Her face contorted and heaved herself over the side of the bed. Regina winced and drummed her fingertips together. When Emma came back up, Regina smiled apologetically.

"Sorry sweetie."

"It's okay Gina. Just...don't do that again." Regina cupped the side of Emma's face, wanting a peck, but noticed she was paler than usual. Regina whipped out her handy dandy thermometer and thrust it into Emma's mouth. She mumbled something incoherently in surprise, before it was yanked out again.

"What the hell was that for?"

"Em, to put it nicely, you look like shit. How long has it been since you've eaten anything?"

"I don't know." Regina groaned.

"How are you going to get better if you're not going to take care of yourself?" Regina poured another small helping of saltine crackers and handed them to Emma.

"I'm not leaving until their all gone." teased Regina, wagging her finger at Emma. The blonde pouted and shoved a handful of the small crackers in her face. She swallowed and smiled weakly. Regina leaned over and pressed her lips against Emma's, who responded positively. The rest of Regina's body slowly followed, pressing itself into Emma's. The two women worked into a rhythm, tongues intertwining.

"I...love...you... Gina..." said Emma in between kisses. Regina smiled against her lips, pulling away and pressing her forehead to the other woman's.

"I love you too Em." She whispered in her ear.

"You should get some rest, and it's probably not too good for my health with all this PDA."

"I don't care. I'll take care of you."

"You won't if you're sick too..." said Regina as she stripped off her shirt and pants, leaving panties and a cami. She slipped under the covers and Emma did the same. This time Emma was snuggled under Regina's arm, like a small child. Their hands grasped at the others until they fell asleep.


End file.
